Device for removing and inverting hose-like knitted goods on circular knitting machines



3,306,080 ITTED Feb. 28, 1967 K. RssLER DEVICE FOR REMOVING AND INVERTING HOSE-LIKE KN GOODS ON CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 22, 1964 Feb. 28, 1967 K RSSLER 3,306,080

DEVICE FOR REMOVING ND INVERTING HOSE-LIKE KNITTED GOODS ON CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES Filed OCT.. 22, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 77 F/GJZ Q 6 v 5 Q -`l5 ii 'I v i ft 1 7 '1: i; .3 "i 1 8 1 Il lli# a l -h m 9 4 "IOOL i y' F/GJ3 L5 y 2v )Vw Q /f/ /QQ stai /1 |3 x i i i 7,16 l 3 T loer J I 1 INVENTOR I8 l2 /furpoler 3,306,080 NITTED Feb. 28, 1967 K, RSSLER DEVICE DOR REMOVING AND INVERTING HOSELIKE K GOODS 0N CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES Flled Oct 22 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 F/G. l5

United States Patent Office 3,306,081) Patented Feb. 28, 1967 DEVICE FOR REMOVING AND INVERTING HOSE-LIKE KNITTED GOODS N CIRCU- LAR KNITTING MACHINES Kurt Rssler, Talweg 3, Sonthofen, Allgau, Germany Filed 0st. 22, 1964, Ser. No. 405,893 Claims priority, application Germany, Oct. 22, 1963, R 36,384; Apr. 22, 1964, R 37,749 2 Claims. (Cl. 66-149) The invention relates to a device for removing hosiery goods from circular knitting machines and for turning these goods inside out.

An object of the invention is to improve the efficiency of the known devices for removing stockings, socks and other hose-like knitted goods from single cylinder or double cylinder circular knitting machines and to turn these goods inside out, in that the foremost end of the knitted hose is engaged by a gripping tool and is pulled upwardly in a tube until its knitting is completed. The gripping tool will then release the knitted hose which by its gravity will drop from the l'ower end of the knitting machine, or an air stream will discharge the knitted hose from the machine and will convey it to a collecting container.

According to another object of the invention, the gripping tool having the shape of a clamp is moved upwardly by means of a hauling member which is in operative connection with the clamp by a rope running over rollers. This modification of the invention ensures a particularly safe and dependable operation of the gripping tool.

The invention will now he described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate several embodiments of the inventive device, and in which the FIGS. l, 2, 3 and 4 show each a different operating condition of one particular embodiment of the device of the invention; the

FIGS. 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9'show each a different operating condition of another embodiment of the device of the invention; the

FIGS. 10, 11 and 12 show each a different operating condition of a third embodiment of the device of the invention;

FIG. 13 illustrates in an enlarged axial view a portion of the device shown in the FIGS. to 12, and

FIG. 14 is a vertical cross-sectional view of an additional modified form of the invention;

FIG. 15 is a vertical cross-sectional View of a further modified form of the invention;

FIG. 16 is a vertical sectional view showing a still further modified form of the invention; and

FIG. 17 is an exploded view showing another modified form of the invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the needle cylinder 10 of a circular knitting machine'is arranged in axial alignment with an upwardly extending vertical tube 14. Within the needle cylinder and below the knockover zone, which is arranged at the upper end of the needle cylinder, is arranged a gripping tool 17. Between the latter and the lower end of the tube 14 are indicated the first rows of a knitted article d. After a sufficient number of rows has been knitted, the gripping tool 17 is moved upwardly and clamps the knitted article tightly between the inner wall of the -stationary tube 14 and the gripping tool 17 as is illustrated in FIG. 2. In order to ensure a safe clamping of the knitted article, the gripping tool 17 may be provided as shown at 17 with bristles or needles or a resilient covering. The gripping tool 17 may also be resilient as a whole.

According to still another object of the invention the gripping tool 17 itself may seize the article independently gf the tube 14 and hold it securely as a clamp would o it.

At any rate, during the knitting operation the article is pulled upwardly by the gripping tool 17 along the inside of the tube 14, as illustrated in FIG. 3, and thereby the knitted article is inverted. Upon completion of the knitting operation, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the knitted article is released by the gripping tool 17, and the result is that the article by its own gravity drops from the machine or it may be carried away by an air stream to any desired place. It is, however, also possible, as shown in FIG. 9, to move the gripping tool 17 downwardly and release the article when the latter has reached its starting position at the top of the larger diameter knitting cylinder 1t).

According to still another object of the invention, the gripping tool 17 may be brought to a stop somewhat beneath the knocking-over edge, whereupon the tube 14 is caused to move downwardly.

FIG. 5 illustrates another embodiment in its starting position before the gripping tool 17 -starts its operation.

FIG. 6 illustrates the manner in which the article is clamped within the tube, and FIG. 7 illustrates the manner in which the article in the tube 14 is turned inside out by moving the tube 14 downwardly into the knitting cylinder 10.

In the operating position shown in FIG. 8 the knitted article is completed and in its entirety is in the tube 14 and may be released by moving the tube 14 upwardly away from the knitting cylinder as illustrated in FIG. 9, or is released as shown in FIG. 4 and taken away.

If the gripping tool 17 itself is to seize the article d independently without clamping it between itself and the wall of the tube 14, then thev gripping tool 17 is so constructed as to be mechanically opened in any desired manner.

According to a further object of the invention, the gripping tool and the tube are movable relatively to one another, thereby removing the article and turning it inside out, respectively.

The tube according to the invention may have any desired length, but may also be so short to form a ringlike structure. Such a ring then performs the function Which otherwise is performed by the lower edge of the tube.

The tube may have any desire-d diameter and, for example, may comprise the tubular drive shaft of the dial in a single cylinder knitting machine. In double cylinder knitting machines the tube may constitute the upper cylinder of the knitting machine.

According to still another object of the invention, the device may be so constructed that the article, after it has been released by the gripping tool 17, is removed by an air current which is directed either downwardly or upwardly or laterally and passes through an opening in the wall of the tube.

The FIGS. 10 to 13 illustrate a device in which the gripping tool comprises a clamp having a part 1 provided with an outer cone and a part 2 provided with an inner cone. These two conical parts are axially movable relatively to each other. The part 2 having the inner cone is provided with an axial bore 2a through which extends a irod 3, to the lower end of which is attached the part 1, while at the upper end of the rod 3 is arranged a ball bearing 4. To this ball bearing 4 is attached a rope 5 which extends upwardly and outside of the tube 14a and then is guided. over sheaves 6 and has attached to its free end a weight 7. The weight 7 is slidably mounted in the form of a piston in a vertical tube 8 Which is closed at its lower end. At the lower end of the tube 8 is arranged a nipple 9 for the introduction of compressed air. In the lower cylinder a of the circular knitting machine is arranged a tubular ring lll Which is equipped with downwardly inclined nozzles for the discharge of compressed air which is supplied by a small tube 18.

The operation of the device illustrated in the FIGS. 10 to 13 is as follows:

In FIG. 10 the clamp formed by the parts 1 and 2 is in its lowest position. An annular shoulder 13 on the part 2 engages an annular insert 16 iixedly mounted in the tube 14a. The rope 5 is slack. Therefore the part 1l drops by its gravity downwardly away from the part 2 and the clamp is opened. An abutment 15 beneath the ball bearing 4- determines the amount of the opening of the clamp. In this position the circular knitting machine begins to knit a fresh article. It knits such a length of it until the first rows reach the region of the parts 1l and 2 to be clamped between the conical faces of the same. Thereupon the rope 5 is pulled to close the clamp and to grip the article at its upper edge on both sides thereof. The tensioning of the rope 5 is effected by the gravity pull of the weight 7. The tension of the rope 5 is released later by admitting compressed air into the tube 8 by means of the nipple 9.

While the knitting operation is continued, the weight 7 moves downwardly and thereby causes the clamp with the knitted article gripped on both sides and attached thereto to move upwardly. Due to this operation the article is turned inside out. This position is illustrated in FIG. 11.

After the article is completed, compressed air is introduced by the nipple 9 into the tube 8, the weight 7 moves upwardly and the clamp moves downwardly with the article clamped therein until the initial position (FIG. l0) is reached in which the article is released. The knitted article is now surrounded by the tubular ring I1 provided with the nozzles 12. A short blow of compressed air is directed against the knitted article and the latter is blown from the machine in a downward direction.

In FIG. 14 a clamp comprising the two conical parts 1b, 3b, and which is similar to the clamp comprising the parts 1l and 2 as shown in FIG. 10, is arranged in the lower part of the tubular drive shaft 20 of the dial 21 of a single cylinder knitting machine whose knitting cylinder is designated with 23. In this embodiment the knitted article d is moved upwardly by the closed clamp 1b, 3b in the tubular drive shaft 20.

FIG. illustrates the previously mentioned embodiment in which the tube 14 is replaced by a ring 25 which is xedly mounted at the knocking over edge of the upper end of the needle cylinder 10c. The knitted article d is engaged by a gripping tool 1d, 3d similar to the clamp employed in the embodiment of FIG. l0.

After the knitted article d (FIG. 16) has been released at the upper end of the tube 14e by the gripping tool 17 it may be discharged from the tube 14e through an aperture 14d in the wall of the latter as formed by the inclined nipple 26 shown in FIG. 6 by an air stream owing in the direction of the arrow 27 or, as shown in FIG. 17, the knitted article d is moved in the direction of the arrow 28 completely out of the upper end of the tube 10 by the gripping tool 17 and thereupon is released by the latter.

The various controls are operated in known manner either mechanically or pneumatically or electrically by means of the customary control drum of the circular knitting machine.

The device according to the invention can be employed with double cylinder knitting machines as well as with single cylinder machines and makes it possible to remove mechanically and invert without much energy requirement hosiery and hose-like knit goods from the needle cylinder of a circular knitting machine.

What I claim is:

1l. In a circular knitting machine for producing hosiery and other tubular knitted articles, a device for removing and inverting said tubular knitted articles comprising a vertical tube arranged in axial alignment with the knitting cylinder of said knitting machine, a releasable gripping means for gripping both sides of the starting end edge of the knitted article, means for moving said gripping means with said article during the knitting operation upwardly into said tube until the knitted article is completed, release means causing said article to be released from said gripping means for -removal of said article and a compressed air current for removing said article from said knitting machine.

2. In a circular knitting machine for producing hosiery and other tubular knitted articles, a device for removing and inverting said tubular knitted. articles comprising a vertical tube arranged in axial alignment with the knitting cylinder of said knitting machine, a releasable gripping clamp for gripping both sides of the starting end edge of the knitted article, means for moving said gripping means with said article during the knitting operation upwardly into said tube until the knitted article is completed, and means causing said article to be released from between said. gripping means for removal from said knitting machine, said means comprising an annular ring mounted within said knitting cylinder, inclined downwardly directed nozzles on said ring, and means introducing compressed air into said Iannular ring.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 625,234 5/1899 Adams 66-149 1,377,239 5/1921 Williams 66-148 1,715,399 6/1929 Williams 66-148 X 2,506,968 6/1950 Oberholtzer 66-149 S 3,167,940 2/1965 Limbacher et al. 66-151 3,214,944 4/ 1965 Kienel 66-149 FOREIGN PATENTS 649,846 9/1937 Germany.

526,283 9/ 1940 Great Britain.

57,906 7/ 1946 Netherlands. 772,216 4/1957 Great Britain. 955,184 4/1964 Great Britain.

MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner.

WILLIAM C. REYNOLDS, Examiner. 

1. IN A CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE FOR PRODUCING HOSIERY AND OTHER TUBULAR KNITTED ARTICLES, A DEVICE FOR REMOVING AND INVERTING SAID TUBULAR KNITTED ARTICLES COMPRISING A VERTICAL TUBE ARRANGED IN AXIAL ALIGNMENT WITH THE KNITTING CYLINDER OF SAID KNITTING MACHINE, A RELEASABLE GRIPPING MEANS FOR GRIPPING BOTH SIDES OF THE STARTING END EDGE OF THE KNITTED ARTICLE, MEANS FOR MOVING SAID GRIPPING MEANS WITH SAID ARTICLE DURING THE KNITTING OPERATION UPWARDLY INTO SAID TUBE UNTIL THE KNITTED ARTICLE IS COMPLETED, RELEASE MEANS CAUSING SAID ARTICLE TO BE RELEASED FROM SAID GRIPPING MEANS FOR REMOVAL OF SAID ARTICLE AND A COMPRESSED AIR CURRENT FOR REMOVING SAID ARTICLE FROM SAID KNITTING MACHINE. 